A consultation begins with discussion. The practitioner may ask about your current concerns, medical history, medicines and supplements, sleep, appetite, digestion and other relevant factors. The aim is to understand the whole situation before discussing possible TCM approaches.

What to know before your visit

Bring a list of medicines and supplements you currently take.
Bring relevant reports if available.
Tell the practitioner about allergies, pregnancy, implanted devices or ongoing medical treatment.
Ask about expected process, fees and follow-up before deciding.

Care and suitability

TCM services are not one-size-fits-all. The practitioner may recommend a different approach, a combination of approaches, or conventional medical review depending on the information discussed and any safety concerns.

Urgent symptoms

For severe, sudden or rapidly worsening symptoms, chest pain, difficulty breathing, fainting, major bleeding, stroke-like symptoms or other emergencies, call 995 or seek urgent conventional medical care.

Understand more

Clearer explanations for better decisions.

What to prepare before you come

Bring a list or photo of medicines and supplements you currently use, relevant medical reports if available, and a short note of the symptoms or questions you most want to discuss. You do not need to prepare a perfect medical history; the aim is simply to make the conversation clearer.

What the practitioner may ask

A TCM consultation can include questions about the main complaint together with sleep, appetite, digestion, energy, temperature preferences, stress and other symptoms. Traditional observations such as the tongue and pulse may also form part of the TCM assessment. These are used within the TCM framework and do not replace biomedical tests when those are needed.

After the consultation

Recommendations should be explained in a way you can understand. Ask what the proposed approach is for, what to expect, whether it may interact with medicines or existing care, and when you should seek further medical review. If anything is unclear, it is reasonable to ask again before deciding.

Explore related services

Helpful readingYour first TCM consultation: what to expect →

Need the terminology or practical answers?

Use the glossary and common-questions page to understand what traditional terms mean, what they do not mean, and how TCM fits into Singapore healthcare.

TCM glossary Common questions

TCM Consultation